Biography
The Soul Rebels refresh the brass band traditions rooted in their New Orleans origins by fusing jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and pop into an energetic, cohesive sound. Their octet has joined forces with an unusually broad spectrum of performers such as Rakim, Portugal the Man, Robert Glasper, Metallica, and Katy Perry, while also serving as openers for Lauryn Hill, the Allman Brothers, and Nile Rodgers across the hundreds of annual live engagements they maintain. Studio work proves equally forceful, as demonstrated by the 1994 release Let Your Mind Be Free, the 2005 album Rebelution, and the 2012 best-selling award winner Unlock Your Mind. On Poetry in Motion, issued in 2019, the group extended its reach by partnering for the first time with multiple guests who further broadened its musical scope.
Drum majors from the marching bands at Southern, Grambling, and Texas Southern Universities founded the Soul Rebels. Lumar LeBlanc on snare drum, Derrick Moss on bass drum, and Damion Francois on tuba initially performed together as Young Olympia, the junior wing of Milton Batiste’s Olympia Brass Band. Adding Tannon Williams on trumpet, Winston Turner on trombone, and Marcus Hubbard on trumpet, the musicians began operating independently in 1991. Six core members formed the nucleus, often supplemented by guests Will Terry on tenor sax, DJ Ike Turna on turntables, Mike Woods on percussion, and Thaddeus Clark on electric piano. In 1993, after sharing a bill with the Neville Brothers, Cyril Neville bestowed their name with the declaration, “Hey, you’re a brass band, but y’all got funk and soul. Y’all are like soul rebels.”
Mardi Gras Records issued the Soul Rebels’ debut album, Let Your Mind Be Free, in 1994. Tuff City followed with No More Parades in 1998; a live remix titled More Jams from No More Parades appeared without the band’s consent or participation. Their third album, Rebelution, arrived on Barn Burner Music in February 2005. Although the group averaged roughly 250 shows annually, Hurricane Katrina inflicted a major disruption in 2005 by ravaging their hometown. Despite members dispersing throughout the Gulf region, they still reconvened periodically for performances and managed to release Urban Legend in 2006. Subsequent local projects included the 2009 concert recording No Place Like Home: Live in New Orleans. Visibility rose after an appearance in an episode of the HBO series Treme, set in New Orleans, and in the televised parade preceding the 2010 Super Bowl, the year the Saints captured the NFL title.
Rounder Records later signed the Soul Rebels, releasing Unlock Your Mind in 2012. The band toured extensively, collected multiple local honors in NOLA, and earned Grammy nominations. The album reached number 14 on the Jazz Albums chart and performed strongly on streaming and download rankings. Demands from touring, session work, and live dates delayed the next album until 2016. Intent on exploring new directions, the musicians incorporated drum machines and other unconventional production elements while welcoming collaborators including PJ Morton, Branford Marsalis, Big Freedia, Robert Glasper, Trombone Shorty, and NOLA rappers Dee-1 and Alfred Banks. After placing a track on the Girls Trip soundtrack and delivering well-received sets on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, the Soul Rebels issued Poetry in Motion on Mack Avenue Records in October 2019. Strongly shaped by hip-hop, funk, and bounce music, the album received widespread praise.
Drum majors from the marching bands at Southern, Grambling, and Texas Southern Universities founded the Soul Rebels. Lumar LeBlanc on snare drum, Derrick Moss on bass drum, and Damion Francois on tuba initially performed together as Young Olympia, the junior wing of Milton Batiste’s Olympia Brass Band. Adding Tannon Williams on trumpet, Winston Turner on trombone, and Marcus Hubbard on trumpet, the musicians began operating independently in 1991. Six core members formed the nucleus, often supplemented by guests Will Terry on tenor sax, DJ Ike Turna on turntables, Mike Woods on percussion, and Thaddeus Clark on electric piano. In 1993, after sharing a bill with the Neville Brothers, Cyril Neville bestowed their name with the declaration, “Hey, you’re a brass band, but y’all got funk and soul. Y’all are like soul rebels.”
Mardi Gras Records issued the Soul Rebels’ debut album, Let Your Mind Be Free, in 1994. Tuff City followed with No More Parades in 1998; a live remix titled More Jams from No More Parades appeared without the band’s consent or participation. Their third album, Rebelution, arrived on Barn Burner Music in February 2005. Although the group averaged roughly 250 shows annually, Hurricane Katrina inflicted a major disruption in 2005 by ravaging their hometown. Despite members dispersing throughout the Gulf region, they still reconvened periodically for performances and managed to release Urban Legend in 2006. Subsequent local projects included the 2009 concert recording No Place Like Home: Live in New Orleans. Visibility rose after an appearance in an episode of the HBO series Treme, set in New Orleans, and in the televised parade preceding the 2010 Super Bowl, the year the Saints captured the NFL title.
Rounder Records later signed the Soul Rebels, releasing Unlock Your Mind in 2012. The band toured extensively, collected multiple local honors in NOLA, and earned Grammy nominations. The album reached number 14 on the Jazz Albums chart and performed strongly on streaming and download rankings. Demands from touring, session work, and live dates delayed the next album until 2016. Intent on exploring new directions, the musicians incorporated drum machines and other unconventional production elements while welcoming collaborators including PJ Morton, Branford Marsalis, Big Freedia, Robert Glasper, Trombone Shorty, and NOLA rappers Dee-1 and Alfred Banks. After placing a track on the Girls Trip soundtrack and delivering well-received sets on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, the Soul Rebels issued Poetry in Motion on Mack Avenue Records in October 2019. Strongly shaped by hip-hop, funk, and bounce music, the album received widespread praise.
Albums
